Sunday, March 31, 2013

charlie callahan

charlie callahan, besides being a super nice guy, brings the sea to the city. his sea urchins can be found all over san francisco; my favorites are the ones in the outer sunset, the little strip of san francisco that has been claimed by artists, surfers, skaters and coffee addicts. this is "our" san francisco, free of googlers, facebookers and twitterers, free of condos and lofts, still accessible and friendly and constantly (blessedly) encroached upon by sand dunes, wind and fog.

charlie's eye is never amiss. his aesthetic hits my heart every time. i love this photo, one of many which are constantly streaming into my iphone. and isn't this why we need art? reminders to keep the eyes open. i wouldn't have seen this or put it together-- cherry blossoms, dashboard, bridge, girl-- while driving. things like this keep me alive, help me ground myself, touch the beauty in the world all around me. some see it better than others. thank god we have them.

this is a recent uni, done for a couple in sausalito. his work can (ironically) also be found (in grand scale) gracing the inside of the facebook campus. if you want an original uni in your world, charlie does commissions for regular people too.

next up for charlie: a mosaic at ocean beach carol's house, the famous female body surfer who lives near to us on the great highway.